Facilities

The Madrid 2020 Olympic bid "faltered at the first round of votes in Buenos Aires on Saturday," but La Liga side Atlético Madrid’s stadium move "will not be affected," according to INSIDE SPANISH FOOTBALL. The new Madrid Olympic Stadium, utilizing aspects of the "existing construction at Estadio La Peineta is already well under construction." Atlético Madrid is "set to relocate to this stadium" by the '15-16 season in a move that "will be funded by the redevelopment of their existing Estadio Vicente Calderón home" (INSIDE SPANISH FOOTBALL, 9/7). In Madrid, Alberto Barbero reported Atlético believed that had the IOC chosen Madrid to host the 2020 Olympics, "the decision would have sped up the construction of the new stadium and improved the new stadium's environment and access." Saturday's IOC decision "evidently has other direct effects on Atlético, which owns the stadium that would have been an important site during the Olympics as host of track and field events and the opening and closing ceremonies" (MARCA, 9/8).

EPL Tottenham’s plans for a new home "have taken a twist as the club confirmed it has appointed the architects responsible for the Olympic Stadium to come up with new designs" -- increasing the likelihood that the current plans for a 56,000 arena may be ditched, according to Alex Miller of the London EVENING STANDARD.
Officials including Tottenham Chair Daniel Levy "have worked with London-based architects KSS to produce the current designs for a new stadium."
However, Levy "now wants to explore alternative designs and has turned to Populous, the company behind the Olympic Stadium, the new Wembley and the Emirates stadium, the home of rivals Arsenal -- for fresh ideas."
The revelation "will disappoint fans eager to see the club move into a new, larger stadium." Further delays "now seem likely and club officials have yet to indicate when work will begin on the stadium, although work is close to completion on a supermarket on the development site" (EVENING STANDARD, 9/6).